Returning phone calls
Discussion
Does anyone do this anymore? 
I seem to spend my life phoning companies chasing them up for information they were supposed phone me back with or trying to get hold of people I’ve left messages for. Unless I get lucky and phone up when the person in question is in the office I usually have to make at least two to three attempts to talk to the person in question.
I’m not sure whether it’s the people in question ignoring the messages, the person taking the call not passing on the message or both. Numerous times I’ve phoned up for someone to be told:
“they’re out of the office, would you like me to get them to call you back?”
me: “yes please”
them: “OK will do, thanks, bye”
me: “err wouldn’t you like a name and phone number?”
them: “Oh yes, OK then”…
I think I can count on the fingers of both hands the number of times this year that someone has actually phoned me back at the first time of asking.
I seem to spend my life phoning companies chasing them up for information they were supposed phone me back with or trying to get hold of people I’ve left messages for. Unless I get lucky and phone up when the person in question is in the office I usually have to make at least two to three attempts to talk to the person in question.
I’m not sure whether it’s the people in question ignoring the messages, the person taking the call not passing on the message or both. Numerous times I’ve phoned up for someone to be told:
“they’re out of the office, would you like me to get them to call you back?”
me: “yes please”
them: “OK will do, thanks, bye”
me: “err wouldn’t you like a name and phone number?”
them: “Oh yes, OK then”…
I think I can count on the fingers of both hands the number of times this year that someone has actually phoned me back at the first time of asking.
Same over here. I think that the company analysts must have decided after a study that it's not accountable to phone people back- cost of call and time used vs result of call/number of other new customers. I'm sure that all the latest training manuals instruct never to call a client back and that if they're interested enough they'll phone back themselves
Driller
Driller
I accept the fact that I am the single most organised and efficient businessman I deal with 
Call them back, be forever helpful and effective and use calling them back as a relationship strengthening excercise.
I have clients I spend 12 months staying in touch with (because they never call me) and at the end of it find myself £better £off for having done so.
Call them back, be forever helpful and effective and use calling them back as a relationship strengthening excercise.
I have clients I spend 12 months staying in touch with (because they never call me) and at the end of it find myself £better £off for having done so.
I always return my phone calls. It would be rude not to.
Well except all those bloody sales calls......
My colleague says "Steve, I've got so and so from Ujamaflip Telecommunications wanting to speak to you about telephone systems."
Me "Great, can you please tell them I'll call them back".
Do I? Do I fooooooooooook.
Well except all those bloody sales calls......
My colleague says "Steve, I've got so and so from Ujamaflip Telecommunications wanting to speak to you about telephone systems."
Me "Great, can you please tell them I'll call them back".
Do I? Do I fooooooooooook.
Depends on your business environment.
If you're fielding hundreds or thousands of calls/day it may be impossible to achieve a 100% call back rate.
This may seem odd but I wonder whether an engaged tone is a more effective ploy?
I remember working in a provincial stockbroker's back office during one of Maggie's flog offs and every day, I'd come in at some cat burglar friendly time just to get ready for the rigours of the day, a process which involved a 'to do' list, usually 20-odd jobs long.
Invariably, by 0830 hours the list was history and all one could do was firefight, there was simply no time to do anything other than perpetually answer infinite calls.
I could have taken 15 minutes/punter to deal with individual pleasantries but Boss Man would have flogged me out of the synagogue.
A'ready.
If you're fielding hundreds or thousands of calls/day it may be impossible to achieve a 100% call back rate.
This may seem odd but I wonder whether an engaged tone is a more effective ploy?
I remember working in a provincial stockbroker's back office during one of Maggie's flog offs and every day, I'd come in at some cat burglar friendly time just to get ready for the rigours of the day, a process which involved a 'to do' list, usually 20-odd jobs long.
Invariably, by 0830 hours the list was history and all one could do was firefight, there was simply no time to do anything other than perpetually answer infinite calls.
I could have taken 15 minutes/punter to deal with individual pleasantries but Boss Man would have flogged me out of the synagogue.
A'ready.
anniesdad said:
I always return my phone calls. It would be rude not to.
Well except all those bloody sales calls......
My colleague says "Steve, I've got so and so from Ujamaflip Telecommunications wanting to speak to you about telephone systems."
Me "Great, can you please tell them I'll call them back".
Do I? Do I fooooooooooook.
And then they ring you back again at a later date. Wouldn't a simple 'not interested thanks' be easier?
must admit to currently having 49 voicemails on my work mobile - and I work for the phone company 
But my voicemail does say 'email me' and gives my email address, and those who need to get hold of me text me as well as emailing... And I do reply via Blackberry as soon as I can
Just aren't the hours in the day to get to them let alone call back when both parties are around
Do I hate modern communications
Still holiday today so not fussed
But my voicemail does say 'email me' and gives my email address, and those who need to get hold of me text me as well as emailing... And I do reply via Blackberry as soon as I can
Just aren't the hours in the day to get to them let alone call back when both parties are around
Do I hate modern communications
Still holiday today so not fussed
Whilst purchasing our house a few months ago our regular solicitor went on holiday and she is superb, always calls back and she always has the info to hand etc etc.
But whilst she was away we had another senior partner dealing with us and he was terrible, I called him 5 or 6 times in a week and he never called me back. We were also urgently waiting for information from the seller and on the rare occasion that I did speak with him he said he had left them a message, so I asked "have they got back to you", "no" he replied. "Well", I said. "Well what", he said. "Are you going to try and call them again", I said.
"Well no, I hadn't planned to", he said. "So, you're just going to sit there with your head in the sand and do nothing", I said". The phone went dead....
I registered a complaint when our solicitor returned and she was very apologetic and her normal excellent service was resumed.
This other guy was such a sloath ....made me so mad!
But whilst she was away we had another senior partner dealing with us and he was terrible, I called him 5 or 6 times in a week and he never called me back. We were also urgently waiting for information from the seller and on the rare occasion that I did speak with him he said he had left them a message, so I asked "have they got back to you", "no" he replied. "Well", I said. "Well what", he said. "Are you going to try and call them again", I said.
"Well no, I hadn't planned to", he said. "So, you're just going to sit there with your head in the sand and do nothing", I said". The phone went dead....
I registered a complaint when our solicitor returned and she was very apologetic and her normal excellent service was resumed.
This other guy was such a sloath ....made me so mad!
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff